USFRA Launches engAGe App to Help Farmers and Ranchers Advocate on Social Media

ST. LOUIS (February 26, 2018) – With only 4-5,000 agriculturalists on social media that post three or more times per month about food and ag-related issues, we have a small footprint in the digital media space compared to the anti-ag movement. Many influential voices that are unsupportive of conventional agriculture generate a larger impact using emotional content to misinform today’s consumer.

In in a proactive effort to bring farmers and ranchers into the mainstream conversation, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance® is launching engAGe – a new app to give farmers, ranchers and advocates a turnkey tool in sharing their story on social media. This platform allows users to easily stay abreast of current news in agriculture and broadens relevant content to their social media channels with a simple click. It’s easy to download and integrates with social media accounts to strengthen agriculturalists’ voices and share a united message.

“Agriculture has an opportunity to come together and proactively elevate the voices of farmers, ranchers and agriculturalists on social media,” says Brad Greenway, USFRA Chairman and South Dakota diversified crop and animal farmer. “We know through USFRA research that consumers are interested in how their food is grown and raised. It’s our responsibility to take 5-10 minutes a day to join the dialogue on social media and share our story while we’re in the fields and in our barns.”

The news feed within the app allows users to publish stories and posts to their own social media networks. engAGe also encourages farmers, ranchers and advocates to network with others, so if someone has a video, photo, link or story they want to share, it can be posted and distributed to the entire engAGe community.

How to download engAGe:

To join, search “Dynamic Signal” in either iTunes or Google Play and download the free app.

Once you download and open the app, the app will prompt you to enter the engAGe community code: ENGAGE (not case sensitive).

Once you type in the community code, you will be able to create an engAGe account.

If we don’t talk about how we grow and raise food, consumers will get their information elsewhere. It may be incorrect and told from the perspective of someone who’s never been to a farm or ranch. This makes it crucial for the agriculture community to utilize engAGe, share your story through videos, photos and hashtags and highlight how you’ve adopted technology to enhance environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Join the movement in earning consumer trust in today’s food system.

About U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance® (USFRA®)U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) consists of more than 100 farmer and rancher led organizations and agricultural partners representing virtually all aspects of agriculture, working to engage in dialogue with consumers who have questions about how today’s food is grown and raised. USFRA is committed to continuous improvement and supporting U.S. farmers and ranchers’ efforts to increase confidence and trust in today’s agriculture. To learn more, visit our website at www.fooddialogues.com. You can also find USFRA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.